CAIRO, Jul 23 (Aswat Masriya) - The Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis militant group claimed responsibility for a bomb attack which claimed the lives of four military personnel on Thursday.

A military officer and three soldiers were killed when an explosive device planted in a military vehicle in North Sinai's Rafah went off, the armed forces spokesman had announced earlier today.

The militant group which changed its name to Sinai Province after pledging allegiance to Islamic State fighters last November, declared its responsibility for the attack in a statement shared by its supporters on twitter.

Aswat Masriya could not independently verify the authenticity of the statement.

This is the third attack against security forces to be claimed by Ansar in July alone. On July 16, the group claimed an attack on a naval vessel at North Sinai's Mediterranean shore with a rocket. It also launched attacks against security installations on July 1 in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, killing 17 army personnel.

Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since the military ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, following mass protests against his rule. Most attacks target security forces in North Sinai.